I'm still here
by Read Please
Summary: A story of great sacrifice, where Jim Hawkins meets with his past, discovers more of a future and finds out some things are more than they seem. In other words, a story where Jim is thrown into another cross-over. Hope you enjoy :)
1. Chapter 1

Jim could barely contain his excitement. A new ship, a new story and best of all forgetting what happened all those many years ago. Climbing the rigging he watched the whales of space drift by while captain Amelia and Doppler made sure that everything was in order. Morph, escaping into the night, danced around waiting for Jim's chores to arrive so he could explore without being hassled. At night Jim was assigned to mop sweep and do final checks of everything which left his day free. A new first mate had arrived on ship yesterday, which painfully reminded him of his previous sail. As well as that he...no he refused to remember the dreadful day, three days after he arrived back home. Instead he looked for his new superior, alone now on deck. "I see you've made it onto the ship in one piece." A voice said behind Jim, startling him "I am Junor, first mate and these shall be your night companions." Junor said to him, throwing him a mop, bucket and broom. "Get to work, a young woman shall be arriving on ship and she shall share your chores for the remainder of the time spent on ship. I am now going to bed. Don't brake anything." At that Junor leaved, turning quickly and leaving scuffs marks on the wood. Young woman, thought Jim, uh,oh...

* * *

_Splash! _The remainder of the mopping was soon done and Jim wondered why the _young woman_ hadn't arrived yet. Soon forgetting about it he continued with the rest of the mopping. Footsteps. Behind him. Jim didn't swing around straight away, uncertain if it was a prankster crew mate or a serious intruder. Making his way to the mast beside him, he gripped the mop firmly. Quickly, he jumped from around the pole and thrust the wood end at the unidentified person. He blocked. The other guy blocked. Jim went in for another attack out the person in front of him was quicker. Back and forth the battle of a broom and mop went, but at the heat the unexplained intruder fell (with the help of Jims broom against their temple). The dark hood revealing there identity fell away and Jim backed away. A tangled mess of brown/red curls fell from the hood and over the face. The girl, thought Jim. Using the mop to move away her fringe sudden panic swelled through his veins. Ariel, Jim resisted the thought. Ariel was gone. He new that much. Groaning the girl rolled over and Jim sighed a sigh of relief. Not Ariel, beautiful but not Ariel. Hold on! did he just think that girl was beautiful? Jim you swore of woman remember? he said to himself. With all this mental battle he had going, he didn't notice the girl standing up. "You hit me in the head!"

* * *

Jim swung around, stared the girl fully in the face and asked "Who are you?". Taken by surprise the girl didn't answer but continued raging. "I was sweeping when suddenly there's a mop trying to attack me. And who are you anyways to ask me who i am. I am the intern from planet Gurtcling beside Montressor, that enough information and anyways...hold on." The girl paused a second a questionably looked at Jim. Circling him for a moment she said " you are the boy on the solar surfer!" Jim was stunned at the though of being recognized and quickly assured her that that wasn't the case. "goodnight anyways...ah i didn't get your name." Jim asked "Laren, my names Laren" the girl replied. Jim started walking down below deck but realized, Laren wasn't following him. With all the chores done he would have thought she would head to her sleeping quarters. He turned just in time to see her bounce from the rigging onto the lookout deck and watch the stars. Smiling Jim took a step forward but hesitated and waited to see what she would do. Looking out he saw her reach and somehow manage to catch one of the stars in her hands before releasing it back again. Knowing this was impossible for the stars are giant gas balls millions of light years away, he was going to ask her. Seeing her slowly lower herself down stopped him. Still smiling he worked his way back down to the lower decks, morph teasing him of a new crush. Refusing, he slept, wondering how this partnership would turn out in the end


	2. Chapter 2

Day came and Jim went outside, planning to question the new recruit. Stepping onto the outer deck he vision was blocked by a familiar face. "As you know you have the day off," Junor said "This does not mean all chores are dropped. You are to go to the village we just docked in and then the day is yours. Transport is yours to figure out." Solar Surfer. Jim immediately planned out how he could sneak his vehicle off the ship. Junor continued speaking but Jim couldn't care less. Solar surfer lead his mind to repairs which lead to methods, which lead to sparks and the girl on deck. The girl on deck. Brushing the thought aside, he went to move his surfer to the opening floors. Morph sat (well floated) on the handrail and he set off. The wind blowing through his fringe, he didn't notice the thing below him coming so soon. The sail quickly pulled up and Jim's mind where it should, he realised that although the village was below them, something else was very close to the bottom of the ship. A flurry of red/brown curls and metallic silver whirled past his line of site and he saw Laren on a contraption he had never seen before. Again the bright colours flew past him and he sailed down to the village green. Jeez, there was more to this chic then meets the eye.

* * *

Bread, check. Pickles, check. Extra metal for the solar surfer, check. His day in the village was complete, and plans were made to set off. Morph morphed into a replica of Junor's hat and Jim was quickly reminded of his curfew. Rushing to his solar surfer. He flew. At first he forgot everything and just sailed around the ship a few times. Sunset reminded him, and he made his way back towards the giant ship. Packing up his equipment he noticed another metallic shape in the corner. "Not the boy on the solar surfer, aye?" A voice said from behind him. He turned to see two bright blue eyes staring happily back in his. "I-I um..you know..I dabble" Jim's attempt to make things right only made this new girl laugh at his failure. "I saw you a few times on my trips to Montressa," Laren continued "Whenever my father and i went to buy parts he would inform me on the other flying vehicles in space." Jim was reminded of his earlier confusion. "What is that you were riding, earlier today? It isn't like any solar surfer I've seen." Jim was happy they finally drifted into a conversation he could really sink his teeth into. "This is my version of a solar surfer," Laren explained to Jim that it didn't have a name for she had made it herself. "Wow, that's amazing! Where did you learn.." A loud shouting for Jim to get to work stopped him mid conversation. Laughing, Jim said "Why doesn't he shout at you like this?" "I'm a girl, you can't shout at me." Laughing his way on deck, only to find his superior was no where to be seen, Jim climbed his way up to the lookout. He rolled up his sleeves, leaned out as far as he could and tried to grab hold of the stars.

* * *

Two laughs came from behind him. A high pitched giggle from morph and a curious smirk from Laren. "What are you doing?" she asked bouncing from rope to rope and finally on the lookout. Confessing to his late night spy session, Laren started explaining the theory. "When a star goes supernova it can be really dangerous. It can also make something beautiful." Stopping for a second, examining the empty space around her, Laren leaned out and gently coaxed the star towards her and then to Jim. "The supernova leaves traces of itself all over the galaxy, and can be mistaken for stars. Stars, though, can only be seen. I find these '_supernova stars_' are better." Entranced by the glittering piece of galaxy in his hands, he wondered out loud, "How can you tell?" The girl smiled to herself and laughed in understanding. "You just know really." With that she bounced off the lookout and down a rope to the deck. "Now are we gonna mop again or am I going to have to hit you in the head."

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**well here's the second chapter. My computer nearly stuffed up getting rid of it all so i hope you enjoy it. Is the romantic tension thick enough yet, or am i going to have to add in another love interest. Not much of Jim's back-story in this one but it will be revealed never fear. Stay informed, i will try to get the next chapter out sooner :) xox keep reading**


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks had passed and every night after chores Jim practised capturing the little piece of leftover supernova. He thought he finally got the hang of picking which were stars and which were the actual pieces of galaxy dust. Laren also helped Jim with the picking of stars. After a few days they docked in another village to refuel. Morph and Jim had a plan to ask Laren to go looking for scrap metal with them (the two of them were regularly staying up late, talking of machines and devices). Just as a friend, Jim thought. He wasn't sure he was OK with another relationship after what happened to Ariel. But Laren is different, the voice in his head nagged, Ariel was uneasy from the beginning. _Shoo! _He brushed the voice in his head aside and took a deep breath. "Hey Laren," Jim approached her, nerves pressing in his throat. "Hey Jim," the the talk with Laren had started well. "Hey i was wondering if you wanted to look through some scrap heaps with me for metal." That was what he would have said, if the words hadn't left her lips before him. "You're asking me?" Jim's surprise was overcome by sudden gladness. "Yeah, I thought we could make a day out of it." Laren's words were hard to believe and Jim mentally pinched himself to make sure he wasn't just replaying multiple outcomes in his head. _Wait!_ Why was he making such a big deal of this. Jim shook his head, agreed to the outing and went to mentally scold himself for caring so much. Hunched over a table, Jim didn't notice his superior walk in. "James," Junor started, forcing Jim to quickly jump up and remind himself to finish that later. "I hear you and miss Laren are going out for the day. I need some things." Why did Jim know there was something he had to do to make Junor's attention relevant. "What do I need?" Jim's high mode had flattened.

* * *

"Jim, Over here!" The voice drifted over from behind a heap of scrap metal. "Coming!" Jim piled a few items under his shoulders and ran up the sliding pieces of silver and gold metals. "Look at this," Laren pointed out a long tube, perfect for his solar surfer "It's under this thing," She gestured to another hunk of metal "I was gonna surprise you but I couldn't move it. Help?" The last word was paired with a shrug of the shoulders and Jim stepped his way over and gripped the edge. "Ready," He started 'One, two..." A scream coming from the nearby shop stopped them. With a glance at each other, they ran towards the terrifying noise and into the shop with which it came. A young girl, screaming with pain, was under a chandelier which had obviously caused all the trouble. The elderly shop keeper could do nothing and Laren and Jim were the only ones on scene. "Ready," Laren said, gripping one side of the chandelier "One, two, THREE!" Jim finished and with a mighty tug, they pulled the great item off of the (or what seemed to be) young teenage girl. "Thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU" The young girl ran towards Jim a gave him a hug, praising him with affection and completely ignoring Laren, who in returned pulled a face at Jim. "If it wasn't for you I would've died. If my mother hadn't been so clumsy and old, SHE would've helped me. Lucky there was a strong, handsome and just my type guy on the scene." The girl tug her head into Jim's torso. Peeling her off of him and ignoring the peels of laughter coming from Laren, Jim answered "Look little girl-" "I'm 14, I'm not little!" **(I'm going off that Jim is seventeen here guys ;)) **"Well, girl, I'm glad you are OK but i really need to go now because I need to get back to ship-" "TO SHIP! I love sailing! SOUL-MATES! Tell me when you are flying off, I can totes come with." This kid was really getting on Jim's nerves now. Laren shot him a look and he thought of something. "Yes! Come tomorrow at 12:30pm that's when the ship will be leaving dock, OK" Her head bobbing in agreement, Jim made an excuse and pulled Laren out of the room. "You know the ship doesn't leave dock later then 8, right?" Laren questioned "Exactly" Jim said, a smirk growing on his face.

* * *

"You cruel man," Laren laughed at Jim "That young girl thinks she really has a chance with you and you totally gave her the wrong times. You know the type of people who hang around the space-port." Jim couldn't take her seriously, for he too had burst out in laughter. "OK,OK," Jim said wiping a tear from his eye. "I am a cruel guy. But that girl was over me like a rash." "I know right!" Laren laughed in Jim's direction but suddenly looked out towards the early morning fog. Jumping up and onto the lookout area she beckoned Jim over. Curious, he lept up and onto the lookout deck beside her. She reached out and a gather of supernova stars drifted with them. "Wow," Jim wasn't looking at the stars though. He looked at the girl holding the pieces of galaxy with him and thought _this is what was missing with Ariel. _But I only like her as a friend, a reassuring voice came from the back of his mind, which he quickly agreed to. The nagging in his brain took a deep sigh and sarcastically told him he agrees. Brushing both voices away, he focused on the moment (and girl) in front of him and enjoyed it. Then it all went wrong. The voice from captain Amelia wasn't a reassuring one."Star 6.38 is going supernova! Jim & Laren you secure the ropes! Recovery mode boys, this is dangerous so say goodbye to everyone for you might not get the chance again.

**Author's Note**

**Wow what a cliff hanger. Stay tuned for the next chapter, cause this is where the romantic tension is thicker then cheese. Feedback Guys! Tell me what you think of 'chandelier girl' and all the rest of Chapter three! Thanks for reading**


	4. Chapter 4

The star on the right side of the ship gave a sudden _boom _and the crew were forced to the floor. Jim and Laren sprinted over to the center mast and started handing out life ropes and tightening others. Captain Amelia ran over to the wheel and started turning the boat every which way, as long as it was headed away from the blazing light. Luckily the village was behind them so none of that planet would be destroyed. _Boom!_ The gas ball gave another mighty explosion and once again the ship shook and creaked. "Keep tightening!" Doppler screamed over the noise. The pair of them immediately started redoing knots and tightening others. In all the chaos no one noticed the third mast beginning to snap under pressure. "JIM, JIM OVER HERE" Jim turned to find that 'chandelier girl' standing right under the line of death the slow falling mast was making. Sharing a look (and possibly a thought) with Laren, he wondered how the girl managed to get on ship. Even with wrong sailing times. _CRACK! _The mast gave another heave and started swaying on the spot. "You have to come her and get a life rope!" Jim yelled at the girl "Make me!" I'm sure she wasn't trying to be difficult, in fact i think she was trying to be flirtatious, but even so Jim's rope would let him out further then a few metres. "I can't" He screamed, the noise of burning gas poisoning his ears. "You have to come here." The girl just stayed on the spot, hands on her hips swaying from side to side. "I've had enough of this," he heard Laren mutter under her voice. No-one could guess what she did next. Swiftly, she pulled a dagger from her boots, cut her life rope and ran towards the girl, fireman carrying the kicking and screaming body. "NO! Put me back! Jim has to get me!" The 14 yr old was beginning to become a pain. Noticing a dropped parcel under the cracking mast, Laren ran to get it. "Wait, Laren, NO!" Jim's screamed were only in vain for although Laren was quick and nimble, even she couldn't escape the heavy mast falling on her. Securing the girl in a knot even he couldn't get out of, he cut his own rope to go get her. "James, what are you doing!" The distance complaints of Junor were not important, only the digging through masses of wreckage. It was then that the supernova gave a final spurt of energy and everything blacked out.

* * *

Jim woke in a white room. Looking around he noticed a calender. What was the date? No, he couldn't have been out for three days. Where was the crew? Where was that girl? Where was Laren? "Jim," A high pitched (and very annoying) voice came from beside him. Sudden dread filled him with the thought that the 14 yr old was in his room, but looking around again he saw it was only morph. "Hey Morph," he said, holding out his hand which morph happily snuggled into. "How is everyone?" Morph morphed into the ship and Jim noted it's safety. "How's that chick?" This question Jim didn't really care about but he thought it was nice to ask. Morph morphed into the girl in a rowboat with a man pushing her back to the village. A laugh escaped Jim at the thought of not seeing her again, but sadness filled him when morph morphed into the falling mast. "How is she?" Morph only shook his head. Jim got up and explored his room. Only a very stiff back was all he found. Opening the door morph and Jim walked around the (what they described it as) makeshift hospital. It was very small and had little nurses walking around. He turned a corner to find Doppler talking to one of the little doctors this place seemed to have. "And here is the little miracle," Doppler exclaimed, leaving Jim confused "You had very little breakage and that was miraculous after the bump you had." The doctor ruffled Jim's hair. After talking through the whole event Jim found out that all of the crew had survived the supernova incident. "What about Laren?" Jim's concern showed for the doctor only gave him a sad look "She is my best friend!" Again a sad expression escaped the doctors eyes and he pointed to the nearest door. Lets see the damage. Jim braced himself

* * *

The image was not comforting. The happy girl on a home-made solar-surfer was now reduced to a small figure unconscious in a spotless room. Circling the bed, he noticed her hair had been done. Little details, Jim thought to himself. Glancing beside him, he picked up the sheet which contained all of the medical details of the incident. Sitting on the edge of the bed he read the distressing news that if the medication doesn't find the heart quick enough, it will fail. Other then that, no bones broken, only bruised. "J-Jim," A quiet voice said from behind him. He turned around to see the frail structure slowly sitting up. "Are you OK?" That was all Jim asked and even that got no reply. Reaching over, Laren picked up a jar and passed it to him. "Open it," Her voice was no longer quiet but slowly returning to its old volume. Unscrewing the lid, a burst of tiny light particles flew out and around the room. "The parcel was this jar," Laren said to him, smiling at the awe in his face. " I picked them up before the mast...well you know." Jim reached out and pushed and pulled them left and right. " I see the difference." Jim said, making Laren laugh in his attempts to gather them "Told you you would"


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days blurred together for Jim. He spent all of his spare time with Laren, making her laugh by making morph imitate people. A subtle sentence made a difference though, "Oh my,"Jim said,wiping a tear away from laughter "You know on my last space experience, me and Ariel..." Silence filled the room. He looked at Laren with sudden regret, and although she smirked at him and teased him of his girlfriend a shade passed over her eyes. "Ariel isn't my girlfriend any-more." The smirk faded off of her face and she sat up. "Tell me everything." Cupping her face in her hands, Laren gave a curious look and promised not to tell anyone. "You sure are better," Jim laughed "Maybe we should tell the nurse to call you out of here." "Not until you tell me." That was final, the message was simple but the meaning strong and Jim gave a sigh, letting Laren know she had won. "Well me and her were ... couple," Jim began "And we had a space trip together. I decided to take her home to meet my mother and well... she..." A tear seeped out of his right eye, which he hurriedly wiped away. "Oh my," The voice from Laren came as a shock from him. "The rampage murder on Montressa!" Jim gave a very surprised look. "The what? I thought she left me. I woke up and she was gone. She was...killed?" Jim's curiosity took the better of him and the pain of all those years ago seeped out of him. "I was there with my father when Scroop-" "Scroop?" Jim's blood started boiling. "Yeah," Laren's expression gave away she knew the guy not to fondly as well "Red, about this tall, big bug eyes? You know him?" "Sadly yes."

* * *

He exchanged his story of his first sail experience for the one of hers. "Well, I was there with my father." Laren began again "We had to quickly get back because their was the man who- umm...- killed a load of people on that planet. We were staying at the...Benbow Inn I believe and he killed the girl in room 314." At Benbow Inn the pieces fell together. He hadn't drifted of into space, like the experience perceived but in fact had come back to his home planet. "He was looking for me." Jim's words were harsh even in his own ears. "He killed her and he was looking for me!" Jim stood up and clenched his fists in anger. Instead of calming words from Laren, there came a small sad voice "I understand." Jim whirled around and pure anger escaped his lips "How can you understand! Have you had someone you loved taken from you. She was the only one who knew about having one parent gone and the other not understanding you." He dropped to the nearest chair. "She knew." The anger poured out of him and although he felt grief he felt refreshed somehow telling someone else. "How about two parents gone." The voice startled Jim and he saw Laren's eyes drift over with sadness. "Your girlfriend wasn't the only one killed that night, Jim" Understanding filled his veins and he started pouring out apologies. Holding up her hand for silence she said "You told your story, I tell mine."

* * *

The tale was one of terrible sadness and Jim had never felt drawn to one person at any moment. "My mother had a mental disability. She killed herself after seeing my father killed by Scroop. I woke up to sound of screaming and sudden silence. I shouldn't have run into their room, but I had to see what was going on. It haunts my dreams to this day. I was 15 at the time. Moody and boyish. The last thing i said to my father was goodnight and my mother I hate you. You don't know half of the regret. I ran away and joined the sailing business, trying to get as far away from those memories as possible. You helped Jim. My mother showed me how to collect the supernova stars before she went insane. I built the solar surfer with my father. You gave me the experiences that they couldn't Jim. You are the only thing of importance to me." With that she bowed her head and Jim reached for her hands. "Hey," his voice was soothing, though Laren wasn't crying "I will never ever let anything happen to you, OK?" "Alright," Silence again filled the room but not one of sadness but of knowing each others pain, respecting it and all up gaining a better relationship. With a sudden leap, Laren lept out of bed, a small grin on her face. "How about we raid the vending machine?" "Agreed!" Laren got better and the sailing began again, yet this was only one of their first hiccups before the real test arrived.

**Authors Note**

**Well this is the fifth chapter. Yes there still is more to come and more drama unfolds and the chapters continue. When the time does come for this story to end should i make and epilogue? Tell people! More reviews the better. Again this is not the end i still have many more happenings to go! See ya next chapter guys, bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

Life went on for the pair of them, sailing was smooth and nothing much happened. They didn't talk about the last evening at that hospital again, yet they did share an understanding of the others pain. 3 weeks past until something worth documenting happened. "OK Jim get to work." Junor finished his rant and began stalking off to his cabin. Instead Jim bounded up to the lookout, watching a group of unidentified mammals drift past the ship. "get-to-work get-to-work" Morph chattered, teasing Jim. "Alright *sigh*" Jim grabbed the bucket and mop and began to clean. Morphed then morphed into John Silver and saying "mr-mop-and-misses-broom mr-mop-and-misses-broom" Silver? Jim missed old silver dearly but he wasn't go to let that bring him down. He's alright, he assured himself, I'm sure of it. Suddenly morph flew very quickly in the direction of the side of the ship, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He never drifted to far off, why now? "Hello old morphy, how's old Jimbo" The voice was distinct and now recognised, the noise of a small engine was also noticeable. "Silver?" Jim turned around to see his old mate, John Silver, snuggling his cheek into morph. "Silver!" Jim ran to his old friend, unsure why or how he could be here. After exchanging the old 'hows your mother?' and 'what have you been doing?' The real matter of why he was here came out. "Now Jimbo,"Silver started a unknown expression growing on his face "How has it been?" Only silver knew the real reason of where Ariel was and (and i assure you it wasn't heaven nor hell) although lying to Laren had killed Jim, he had to. "Fine," Jim said through gritted teeth "Not with the other chic, with my old recruit!" What? " "Laren, where is she! I took her up after she ran away, suggested she come here!" Now things were really confusing "Silver!" Laren's voice came from behind and she too ran to hug him. "Now how are you two going," he winked at Laren and she blushed "Lets just say I have a new best friend" Jim smiled at Laren and she playfully punched his arm. Placing his hand over the side of his mouth, he mouthed at Jim Have you told her. Jim shook his head. "Alright then, tell me all that has happened.

* * *

After telling him about the whole supernova incident, Silver was intrigued on the whole space-flight. "Now, you have some explaining to do," Laren said "You never told me you knew Jim." "And you never told me you knew Laren!" "Well you didn't know each other back then, know did ya?"They both nodded in agreement "And besides, I couldn't have warned you two!" "Warned us?" Jim and Laren said in unison. "Well yeah..." Silver rubbed the back of his neck, desperate to change the subject "I planned you two to be best friends!" The excuse was poor and they both laughed at its weakness but they still agreed with, unsure whether they wanted to know the answer or not. "How about some nice potatoes." The three went and had dinner under the deck, only to be yelled at for not doing their chores. They hurried upstairs, not followed by Silver who wanted to catch up with some old friends. "What was that all about?" Jim asked, beginning to mop and throwing Laren the broom. "I don't even know!" The two cleaned up making jokes about what they thought it could mean. "Maybe we are twins from different dimensions?" "No, we don't look alike. Hmmmm maybe we are both descendants of kings, meant to rule over all the galaxy!" "No, I don't have a ruling bone in my body!" "Maybe we are destined to be togeth-" This one was cut short. "What?" Laren asked, not judgemental but curious "Nothing, it was stupid anyways."

* * *

How they continued without an awkward silence, I don't know. They were chatting quite happily about solar sufers and the time Laren actually had to wear a dress for once, when there conversation was interrupted by a scream. A high pitch scream that seemed very familiar to Jim. "No, it can't be!" "Where is JAMES" The chandelier girl ran on deck, spotted Jim and ran to him. Instinct to over and he immediately ran away from her bounding up the rigging and onto the lookout deck, where he knew the girl wouldn't come. 'James, come down," She said batting her eyelashes flirtatiously which sent Laren into a fit of laughter. "Dopler, please make sure this girl is left at the next station we park in, until then send her to be tied to the post." Jim had never heard a voice so reassuring as Captain Amelia's at that moment and the girl was immediately grabbed and dragged off. "JIM WANTS ME HERE! TELL THAT CAT LADY!" The screaming continued and Jim gave a small shake of his head to make sure she was taken care of. Luckily, he thought, the next station we land in is tomorrow. Cries for Jim to save her weighed nothing on his conscience and he wondered what the next village would bring. "At least it's a chance to test out the solar surfers new equipment." Laren said later when they talked about the next village. "Agreed."


	7. Chapter 7

The next village couldn't come to soon. All night was filled with screams and when they finally dropped her off, telling her guardian to make sure she was never let out of site. Laren and Jim spent their spare hours with silver, working on their space-crafts. They didn't ask why Silver had come, only enjoyed his company. Jim passed any question of Ariel (it was killing him to lie about her death) and enjoyed Silver's new tales. Laren seemed to enjoy the first meeting of theirs and how they hated each other at first. She learned of Jim's dad and was intrigued by B.E.N. "So where is he now?" She asked the afternoon they spent collecting parts. "He's at home, taking care of my mother." Jim replied. But with B.E.N you could never tell, he thought. "Got one!" Laren yelled pulling up a piece of scrap metal. Jim started over the junk piles, watching the floor as to not step on anything that could potentially spear him through. A scream was heard, but unlike their last visit to the junk-yard, it wasn't the little brat. Laren screamed and called for Jim. He found her on her back, eyes blank but **not** watery. "What is it?" Jim ran to her helping on her feet. "Scroop was standing right there." Her voice tightened and said to Jim "That isn't possible, he's not alive." "There is nothing here, Laren. But I believe you. Lets get back to the ship." She refused and said she would stay behind to test out her solar surfer. Making his way back felt empty without the laughter and jokes of Laren, but it wasn't long before he came to her rescue again, when he saw smoke coming from her space-craft mid flight. Laren was frantically stepping on the accelerator. "Stop!" Jim called, knowing that it would only burst into flames if she tried. He made eye contact and before rushing to his solar surfer he saw her take her foot out of the hold, bend down and begin working on the engine whilst falling to her death.

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Jim called. Without stability, she would fall off the little machine. "I got this," her voice was faint, but Jim still heard it as clear as day, all his senses now tuned to her. He ran to his machine, calling Silver and starting the engine. _(Laren's POV)_ I can do this, Laren said to herself mentally. Now what had her father said? Blue to green? Or was it Red to purple? Her foot slipped and she stumbled. No time to argue with yourself Laren! She reached for her dagger in her boot and began cutting wires. At first, all this did was made the fall go much quicker. She must of gone pretty high. Looking over she noticed the ground only to close. Grabbing the pliers from her belt she began frantically connect the wires she had cut. One more wire, you can do this, Her brain egged her on but everything else was preparing to die. Looking over her shoulder, she knew she had few seconds left. 3, bye Silver. 2, Bye Jim. 1, hello mum and dad. A whoosh of air and she was against something. Not cold hard ground though. Warm fabric which she gripped onto with dear life. She looked up and saw determination on Jim's face, holding her tightly. _(Back to Jim's POV) _"What do you think you were doing?" Jim laughed as he asked her "That was the only way I would be able to stay alive, I only had one more wire to go you know! Then I wouldn't need your saving." She lightly punched his shoulder, but all Jim could think of was keeping her safe.

* * *

Silver ran to her, after inspecting the completely damaged machine. (It had fell to it's death instead of Laren) "She was right you know," Silver turned to Jim "She did only have one wire left." Laren looked sadly at the damaged piece of machinery that once was the hight of joy in her life. "We can rebuild it! It can be a new project!" Jim smiled at her and in return got a sad smile back. Sad but true. "You gave us all a scare, missy!" Silver continued "Agreed!" Captain Amelia came up from behind her. 'But I think we found the reason your solar thing failed." The captain held up a part of the hunk of scrap engine. Cuts were streaked from the side of the engine. "Again, fixing the wires would've fixed it. That's excellent mechanics, Laren. You might get a promotion!" "I'm fine with mopping." She looked at Jim when she said this, which made him blush red around the ears. Slapping him on the back Silver said 'Speaking of which, you two have chores to do." Later that night, Laren put down the broom and just climbed up onto the lookout deck. Jim followed her, sat beside her and they sat in silence. "Thankyou." Laren looked him in the eyes. "Truly. I would've been dead if you hadn't come just in time. You know-" Jim cut her off, holding up his hand for silence. "Lets just say you owe me one!" They laughed, and looked out from the very top of the ship. "Well actually, you owe me two." Jim said. "Hey!" " Well I did protect you from the worst of the supernova." He laughed at the sad memory, so distant now. "I was unconscious, it doesn't count!" They laughed even more, the night glowing brightly.


	8. Chapter 8

How could metal get thins banged up, Jim thought. He moved the destroyed engine around in his hands. Laren and himself had been working on Laren's solar surfer non-stop. The previous accident had really quite destroyed it and they were basically starting from scratch. "Pass the wrench," he turned to see Laren holding out her hand, completely engrossed in the work in front of her. "Lets take a brake," Jim said, taking the piece of scrap metal out of her hands. "We have worked on it enough today. And besides dinner is almost up." As if on cue, Laren's stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. "Wow, James Pleadies Hawkins, i never thought you would ever want to stop working on a machine. Especially with myself." She laughed and Jim blushed at the mention of his full name (or was it at that last remark?). "Alright, alright. I admit I'm a bit hungry but I really want to get this finished." She smiled sadly at the machine in front of her and Jim gave in. 'Alright, here's the wrench." Squealing with delight the young girl began working again. "Jimbo, me lad, I need your assistance." Silver's voice drifted from the top deck and he made his way up. "Have you told her?" Silver rushed to Jim "No silver, I haven't told her. I don't think I will." Silver shook his head. "Jim, I saw you like this girl from the start- Now don't you get testy with me-" Jim had began disagreeing to a completely unbelievable level "You have to tell her what really happened to Ariel. Her parents died because of that man and you can't imagine the joy she took when she thought you had a 'missing person' in your life too. You know what I mean. She needs you Jim, as much as you need her. If you need proof, ask her about what sent her mother insane." The heart to heart was interrupted by a low rumbling from below deck before a loud bang. Jim rushed downstairs to find Laren sprawled on the floor with the engine burning. "Silver, you take care of the fire. I'll see if she is alive." Jim ran to Laren's unconscious body and gently coaxed her into a more comfortable position. The fear faded out of her eyes and she insisted it was just a small setback. "Test of engine. Can't help it." This was enough for now. Jim and silver turned to leave, but Laren grabbed Jim's arm and said one word that made his heart chill. "Scroop."

* * *

"Jim, he's here for you. He was at the junk-yard and then the whole engine incident and now this! You can't make this a coincidence." Jim agreed and they both decided to not leave one-anothers side if another one of these 'coincidences' happened again. "Help me inspect the damage?" They peeled away the melted metal only to find all their work ruined. "Alright," She said, holding up a wrench "Let's start again." Jim grabbed her wrench and prised the tool from it. "Nu-uh you promised me dinner." They laughed their way upstairs and grabbed some grub. After finishing, Laren layed down on the now deserted deck, to watch the stars. Together they pointed out the interesting constellations and planets they knew. "James, Laren, work starts now." The voice of Junor startled them enough to get them off the floor, but only to see Junor walk away. "Lets get started." The two mopped and brushed around making the usual jokes, and skimping off to catch the supernova stars. "Hey can i ask you something?" Jim asked, remembering his earlier conversation with Silver "Shoot!" Laren replied 'Silver asked me to ask you this- so you know- but what sent-" The question was interrupted by a loud banging. Morph flew from below decks and showed them the image of Silver on the floor. They shared a glance and ran to help. 'Over here," The two heard the raspy voice of Silver coming from the corner. They turned to see there go-lucky friend on the floor holding his stump of a leg. "What happened-" "No time to explain! Grab a gun and protect yourselves!" They didn't disagree and Jim reached for the gun beside Silver, while Laren reached for her dagger. Armed and dangerous, Jim thought of later. Shadows grew on the wall opposite them, but neither Jim nor Laren shrunk away in fear. Footsteps were heard and Jim loaded his gun. Whoever came around the corner was not what he was expecting. Jim thought that it would be a band of built up thugs with loaded machine guns and grenades. It was, in a way, much scarier. It was his old crew. And there leader, Ariel.

* * *

"Ariel," Jim said, though no surge of relief fled through him. In fact, this wasn't the Ariel he loved. "I remember." He heard Laren whisper. She gripped her dagger firmly and slowly reached for her second (Which was conveniently in her other boot). "All right boys, light em up." The voice wasn't Ariel's though. It was Scroop's low growl. "Stay back," This is what Jim would've said before he knew Laren was going to charge off in the direction of 30 men. "IT WAS YOU!" he heard her scream, slashing away with her daggers, on the oncoming predators. Her tiny figure **(Laren is just seventeen too) **was nothing against the multiracial aliens that faced her. The woman Jim once loved only said two words, but those two were enough t send him in a crazy, anger frenzy "kill her." Everything blanked out.

Waking up to the comforting sound of angry shoves, Jim knew he wasn't in a hospital, instead still on ship. He awoke in his sleeping courters, on a rocking hammock and slowly moved all of his extremities. Nothing broken, only a few bumps. This happens way to often, he thought climbing out of bed. As he walked around ship, he remembered the previous nights events. He saw Silver, with a bandaged foot, so he knew he was alright. The memories were foggy, but coming back to him. He knew he had a deep hatred for Ariel/Scroop now, which he remembered quite else? Walking along, his memories slowly came back to him. Something shined in his eyes and he lent over to see what the mysterious object was. A dagger. "SILVER! Where's Laren?"


	9. Chapter 9

(_Laren's POV) _Whatever happened didn't come to her right away. All those years she had to just piece together the blank spaces of her memory just faded away as she saw the figure that killed her father. She knew Ariel. But this wasn't her. Memories flooded back to her as they never had before, right there beside Silver and Jim. Visions of the lonely girl coming into the room at the wrong time. "I remember now." Everything was blank except for the pure hatred for the thing possessing Ariel's body. Blank. Re-gripping her daggers she ran, not caring what would happen. All she knew was that if she died, she knew she was going to see her parents. Ariel woke up in a cage. She flexed her fingers and saw they were only bruised. Wow death hurts less then expected, she thought. She looked at her surroundings and saw she was not dead but in a ship. Below deck. More memories came to her and she remembered the beast of a creature telling them to tie her up. Feeling the bars, she saw a small entrance at the top of the cage, to high to jump to. Looking around for her daggers she noticed only one. Outside the cage. God dammit. Griping the bars she scaled the side of the cage, monkey bar-ing her way across the roof and towards the opening. Nearly there. Reaching for the tiny ledge that would let herself haul into safety, she heard voices. Dropping to the floor, she acted unconscious just as two dark figures entered. "Look, she's still asleep. Lets leave her. Cap'ain didn't want her till tomorrow anyway." One moved towards the door. "Wait, where's the other dagger?" "She probably dropped it, lets go, these are metal bars anyway." The two unknown figures left, leaving herself to her memories. Before trying to climb again she let her memories sink back in.

* * *

She was going alright. Her daggers were strong and nothing was holding her back, so everything was going fine. Until, Jim came to help. Laren was making her way to the evil woman, only a few metres in front of her when she heard Jim run out of ammo. She turned to see him throw a few punches before the swarm overtook. After slashing away for a few minutes, she finally got to him. Just as an attacker was about to make a fatal blow. Stab, turn stab, flick, kick, stabbity stab stab stab. "Now we're even. Get behind me a keep Silver safe." It was then, just as Jim ran to get Silver upstairs, that the enemies regrouped and picked her clean off the floor. "Alright boys," The voice of Scroop sent chills through her body "Give her the slip." By that they meant she was going to be thrown off into space, Laren had heard the expression before. Whilst the captain was distracted by more pressing matters (such as finance) her dagger accidentally slipped, and she tackled the two holding her. This only prolonged what she thought was death, for masses of more swarmed in, taking her away to the other ship. I hope Jim and Silver make it, if I don't, she thought as they carried her onto their ship. Maybe they will, a reassuring voice came into her head. Then again maybe they won't.

* * *

She was back in her cage. Lets try this again. Scaling the cage, she wondered why she was alive. I mean like why they hadn't killed her already. Mhm, might have to ask 'em. Her fingers gripped onto the little opening ledge and she swung herself onto the top. "Jump and land." She said as gracefully (and by that I mean nearly broke her ankle) jumped off the cage. Picking up her dagger, she slid it down her boot, making sure only the hilt of it was visible. Lets see, left or right. Looking out of the doorway, she peered around each corner. Left it is! Closing the door and re-sealing the lock (inter-galactic bobby pins work so much better at lock picking then regular ones do) she made her way down the corridor. Hearing voices and seeing the faint shadows of someone coming, she changed her mind. After quick dodging and silent hiding her way around the place for what seemed like hours, she finally came to a door which gave her reassurance. Weapons room.

I need another dagger, a new belt and a gun just for good measure. Laren's father always told her it's better to be over-prepared then needing something later. Alright, maybe spike ring as well. As she made her way out, she noticed something glinting on the floor. A piece of scrap metal? Jim was on ship and of course, needed her help.

Don't mind me, just a prisoner escaping. Sneaking was awfully easy when most of the crew are half deaf. Many times she heard voices, just as her foot slipped on the wooden floor, but many just thought it was rats. Another door. Jeez, this was turning out to sound like the new Emily Rodda book. Opening it, all she saw was black. Seems promising. _Creak..._ At least she knew there was a wooden floor. Glad to know, cause just as her foot slipped, the lights turned on, with twenty guns all pointed at her head. "Now what do we have here." The voice of Scroop's sent a chill down her back.

**AUTHOR"S NOTE  
A chapter all for Laren! Well that was what happened when Jim blanked out and how he saw the dagger. IT ALL BECOMES CLEAR! I was stuck for what to do for this chapter so I basically made it up as I went along. Laren is meant to be really tomboyish and independent so that is how I'm going to try to make her seem more like! Tell me what you think of her saving Jim for a change and PLEASE, i love it when people review cause then I know you are reading it! Anyways that's the update and I guess I'll see ya soon**


	10. Chapter 10

The ground was cold, and the mud and soft grass squelched beneath her feet. The sticky earth soon changed to soft white sand. Looking around Laren saw nothing but isolation and wondered how she even got into this mess. Sitting herself down she wondered where Jim was and if he was on his way. She didn't need his help of course, but it would be good to feel the comfort of the warm fabric on his jacket around her. No time to be sad now, Laren thought. Might as well explore. Standing, she wiped the remainder of earth of her feet and just ran. Not knowing where or caring how much her muscles ached. She just ran. No-one could see her. Then. She sat. Her senses were dimmed to only sight and smell. Smell. What did she smell? Sweet aromas of the space around her and the softer scents of sand. Her mind came back to her and she stood. Lets get to work,shall we?, she thought to herself, might as well find something to eat. So this is what being marooned felt like.

_(Jim's POV) _The ship was only a spot in the distance, but Jim never took his eyes off of it. That was the only thing to follow and so that's what he did. Follow it. Once Silver told Jim Laren had been taken, he ran to the wheel and turned it in the direction of the tiny speck, telling everyone the new plan. Amelia was angry at first, but she understood his anxiety and went with his ideas. When he wasn't scouting the ship on his own solar surfer, Jim was working on Laren's. Good surprise for her when she gets back. She will come back. That was the only thought that ran through Jim's mind all day and every sleepless night. The ship stopped. One afternoon, the ship containing Laren stopped. He obviously took the chance to catch up. A strange planet was where they found the lifeless ship. All bare and sandy. There was footsteps in the mud too. Fresh. Himself, Silver and a few other crew members took the opportunity to follow them. Four pairs of boot prints. One scaling off in one direction, whilst the others making there way to the other side of the island. He realised now what had happened. Laren had been marooned.

* * *

Following the single footsteps alone, only armed with a gun and a skin of water, turned out to be tiring work. The day wore on, seeming much longer then 12 hrs of he could rest for a moment, the voice in his head mumbled. No, he must find Laren. He knew these were her footsteps now, because along the trail he would find little pieces of scrap metal. No doubt stuck to her boots and had fallen off. No wait the footsteps change. They were now FOOT prints. Along the line of mud too. All this figuring out, hadn't led him to notice the wild animal prowling to his right. A growl made him realise. The great animal began circling Jim, his sharp teeth bared. Jim loaded his gun and took a defensive position. One step closer and he realise the thing had claws as well. What was this thing? He had stripes and was very much dangerous and an animal of pray. There wasn't much time to contemplate what this thing was, for it lunged at him before he got the time. Instead of shooting, Jim just hunched over, preparing for pain. After a minute or two of waiting, hearing inly growls and muffled noises, he looked up. There he saw the THING stalking away, in it's place a very ragged, very torn, but very much alive, Laren. They stood for a moment, each one not believing the other was still alive, or even just there. Then, Laren just threw herself on Jim, hugging him with all her being. "I missed you."

The next hour or two was spent trailing there way back to the ship. "You just saved my life, AGAIN!" Jim exclaimed. "No biggy," Laren answered "He was what I call a 'tiger'. Odd things aren't they. I wonder what planet we are on!" The conversation continued until shouts were heard from outside the scrub. "Looks like we have company." The two crouched down behind the scrubery and watched a battle unfold. Scroop's crew was unleashing all of there smite upon the good ship. We fell right into their plan. "Idea, come with me" Laren started to sneak towards the enemy ship, using all her surroundings to protect her visability. Jim followed and the two snuck their way onto ship. It was then the real battle unfolded.

* * *

Ariel herself had waited for them to come and began duelling Jim whilst her first mate leaped on Laren. Not good. The pair battled their way around deck, unsure how the other was going. _(Laren's POV_) Laren knew Jim couldn't battle Scroop. No let me reword. She knew he couldn't battle Ariel. She knew their history and from the beginning worried the time when they would battle would arrive. Jump left, right, stab, pick up dagger stab again and block. Easy, what was really worried about how Jim was not winning. She over heard Ariel say (or should I say Scroop) "Join me and we can-" Stab, block, jab, get up, jump left "Rule the galaxy." Uh'oh. Wherever this conversation was going she knew Jim wouldn't survive. Her appearance enough was to send him over the edge, and Laren knew that. He dropped the gun he used as a sword and Laren did the only thing she could. _(Jim's POV) _Whatever Ariel said made his defence weaken. He couldn't keep on fighter her. Scroop was the one he hated, not Ariel. He dropped his gun and despite her trustworthy way of speaking, Scroop/Ariel went for a stab that would mean death. The only thing that got in the way was...Laren. Dropping to her knees, the master of the dagger's mouth dropped open and her eyes glazed over. The red in her side was growing and Jim could see more trickle from her mouth. Then he saw it. Scroop's eyes were opened wide and blood was growing on his shirt. The hilt of Laren's dagger's protruded from his chest.

**Why Hello again. Sorry for not posting the last day or two, like I usually do, I was trying to figure out what was going to happen. Funny story, I'm getting a rabbit on the weekend! Yay! Feed back please; I especially can't wait to see the feedback for this one. Bye and thanks for reading. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

So this is what death feels like, Laren thought as she ran in front of Jim to take the fast plunging dagger. Not without a final thrust of her own of course, hopefully killing the wicked bastard inside the ex-girlfriend. Maybe Ariel won't die and she and Jim can be happy together. He obviously misses her very much. Wow, a lot of time to think when your body goes into hyper-drive. There wasn't even a ringing in her was now deaf, couldn't feel her nerves and had paralysed eyes, fixed on Jim. Alright now not Jim. He had moved out of her sight. Probably to help Ariel, the voice in her head had nothing to hold it back now. The ground was cold. Single tears seeped from her face. Using her last energy to wipe them away, she protested to herself she didn't cry. Jim knew that and he wouldn't see her crying now. Maybe if I just called him over...No to much effort. If only. Now Laren was only left to her thoughts. The empty quietness and loneliness of her brain. Where Jim was was much more hectic.

_(JIM's POV) _ Everything happened quickly. He always kept by the two girls, unsure which one he should save. Laren, the right side of his brain yelled. NO! Ariel should be safe now, the left half debated. Jim was really just stuck in the middle. How could he save both?! That's just it. He couldn't. "Silver! Ring the nearest village and call a doctor!" Jim anxiety made his voice crack. "THERE SEEMS TO BE LIFE, INTELLIGENT LIFE, ON THIS PLANET." Silver's shouting was painfully clear over the crew taking over the enemy ship. Single nods were exchanged and Jim went back to nursing the two girls. If only his mother were here! She would know what to do! The ship moved on with a sudden burst of energy, which made everyone on ship groan. Intelligent life would have to be found elsewhere. Time seemed to speed up then. Jim stayed by the two, checking their breathing and heartbeat (WHICH, mind you, was excruciatingly awkward). The landed at the dock and Jim lept up telling people to go get a doctor, two if possible. Sudden fear ran through him as he heard one word coming from a mass that just landed around him. "JIM!" "Get off me, you know I don't like touching, B.E.N". They had landed in Montressor.

* * *

_(LAREN's POV) _Maybe she would survive this. She saw what she believed was B.E.N leaning over her, inspecting her wound. He was gangly and shiny, like had been cleaned but still was the default of the shop. If only she could get a hand on the piece of metal in his front, it would be perfect for her machine..._(JIM's POV) "_This one is still alive, I can tell that much!" B.E.N. said as Laren reached her hand up to him. She mumbled something and Jim lent over to hear her words. Laughing in the time of pain, he pulled the metal from his chest and gave it to the dying person. "Oh, so this is Laren! You know I remember when I first went to her planet, she was just a baby, but the doctors there could treat anything with the help of a robot. And you know they did! Anyways the food there was magnificent! The bolts were just ripe and sun bruised-" Jim had already left of course. Multiple stories of her home planet, lead him to know what co-ordinates to punch in, or at least tell the captain it was the small one on the left. Maybe we could save her -both hers- No just her. But which her? This was all getting to confusing and he ran back to see how the two were acting up. They didn't have long left. And Jim knew it.

When life hands you two perfectly matched girls who are about to die, what do you do? Take them to the nearest doctor and decide later which to save! If only that was the case. Jim was very confused. _(LAREN's POV)_ This metal is perfect for the engine. Right size and length, though it could use a bit of polishing and trimming up. If she could just get Jim over...Ben leant down after being called over by Laren. "Jimothy! Laren said something about metal!" B.E.N. went back to thinking about the food on Laren's planet. Jim raced over, smiling despite his angst. Leaning down he moved her hair out of the way so he could he her better. This painfully reminded him of the first time they met, pushing away her fringe to reveal her identity. Laren spent a minute decided what to say. She only had limited energy. "metal, perfect, engine." She added a smile to hopefully brighten the space boys spirit.

* * *

After Jim had left, Laren continued to lay, only observing. The crew had taken over mainly all the deck. She stiffly and painfully rolled over, looking for Ariel. She was fighting Scroop in her head, Laren knew it. "A-Ariel." Laren whispered. She turned and saw that instead of the black eyes they were now and vibrant blue, much like Laren's. "Keep him happy, OK?" With that she rolled back over, letting herself sink deeper then she probably should. _(JIM's POV) _"Jimothy, where's the doctor? This one seems to be giving up." The voice of B.E.N. was bleak to his ears and much to his sadness he saw him pointing at Laren. Luckily, Silver had arrived with doctor moments later. The two were taken to hospital and Jim just collapsed. He wouldn't let either leave. And that was final.

The waiting room was just as blank as the rooms themselves. White furniture and walls, only colour in the magazines and the dread making it hard to breath. Scroop was gone, at least. But Laren had made the sacrifice. If he had been quicker, she wouldn't have done this. If he and Ariel never met...No. That was what brought him to Laren and this boat ride in the first place. Morph escaped from his jacket and smiled sadly at him. He morphed into Laren saving him countless of times. Exactly she can't die. I owe her too many favours. The he morphed into Ariel as Scroop. She was evil, but the cause was gone now. He wanted to save both but he just knew. He couldn't.

**Authors Note**

**Hi! Tell me what you think of this chapter. Sorry if it's hard to understand or anything, the pressure building in me doesn't really include punctuation. Sorry for not posting for ages (Two days, I think?) I don't really have a reason, I'm can be lazy sometimes. I'm making the chapters longer, is this good? Well anyways see ya next chapter guys and thanks for reading! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Jim was freaking out. The waiting room outside the two girls rooms was as disquieting as the rest of the hospital. If only he could decide which to see first. He didn't have to make the decision in the end. A large nurse came from the hall, saying Ariel has requested his presence. Jim got up brushed down his pants and walked through the bleak white door. _(Ariel's POV) _He came in and the news she had to tell him stuck to her tongue, unwilling to be released. "You saved me after I tried to kill you." Was all she said. Procrastinate for as long as possible. "Yeah, I did... Look I know we-" Jim was silenced by a raise of Ariel's hand. Here we go, she thought. "Jim, Laren cares about you- you know that right?" He nodded and Morph morphed into a dagger, which was quickly brushed away. Ariel laughed. "Look, here's the thing. She is much more suited to you -now don't you start mister (Jim had begun to protest)- I know we had history and I care for you with all my heart but...You moved on Jim, don't deny. You kept me alive those years ago and I'm going to make the decision easy for you. I'm moving back to Atlantica to be with my dad. With Scroop as my brain I realised something. We didn't love each, Jim. We were kids. 15 years old and already dreaming of our marriage. You remember the night Scroop possessed me. So do I. We were in the same room Jim. We were considering...We were fifteen. We didn't love each other." This is where Ariel stopped. One final memory was exchanged by Jim though. "Do you remember," Jim started "the day you came on land for the first time. You were set on marrying that prince when you were 5 years younger then him. Luckily, I was there to help when you literally fell. You were my first girlfriend, Ariel. It's hard to let that go."

_(Jim's POV) _Jim knew the conversation was over and on the way out he noticed a pearly white/blue bottle on the table. The potion. She was going back to Atlantica and becoming a mermaid. The pain he had when she left the first time was reabsorbed into his heart. If only things were the way they were and everything wasn't so complicated. If only things weren't so complicated. He stepped out of the dark room and into the bright white lights of the other. If only

* * *

The nurse had already opened the door to Laren's room, a look of understanding on her face. "This one isn't in such good shape." The nurses voice was followed by the image of a tiny figure in a dressing gown. She had **(Insert name for the nose plug things that help you breath in hospitals here)** running through her nose and drips going into her arm. That should've been you, the voice in his head screamed at him. He fell to the nearest chair, muttering these words into his hands. "Why wasn't it me? It should've been. She is probably going to die because I was such a wuss. If only I had told her sooner. Please don't die. I need you." "Tell me what?" The frail voice came from beside him, and he found her fluttering lids opening slightly. "You are alive. I can't tell you now." The space boy gripped her hands and gave a half smile to try and cheer up the chalky white face. "You said yourself, I'm probably gonna die 'cause you are such a wuss, so stop being a wuss and tell me." Her little voice didn't match the power of her words and the only thing killing Jim' smile was the deathly cough that followed. "You sound terrible." She smiled at his lack of comment, her eyebrow arching slightly. "I don't have much energy left, I was saving it for you Mister, now tell me!" Her eyelids fluttered but not flirtatiously, like she was struggling to keep them open. Fear spiralled through Jim's veins and he gripped her hands tighter, knowing that once they shut again, they wouldn't open to many times more. "Keep those eyes open Missy." He studied the vibrant blue/green orbs and remembered the first time he saw them. (check out the one-shot for all that stuff ) "Remember that OK?" She nodded and slowly rapped her ice cold fingers around Jim's large, warm ones.

They stayed like that for a while, only the deathly cough's interrupting the silence. "Why did you take that dagger?" Jim said after inspecting the ever growing red patch on her side. She smiled faintly and winced lightly as Jim re arranged the bandages. "You were going to die Jim. I had to." 'Laren, I-" He was cut off by Laren resuming her speech. 'Jimothy,' she said, imitating B.E.N. "You are the last thing I have to live for in this galaxy ( This comment gained a inward sigh from morph) Except for you old Morphy. If you die Jimothy, I die too. My parents are gone and Silver doesn't really understand. You would be my only shoulder to cry on and you would be gone. If you die I lose my will to live." Jim only leaned down and leant his forehead against their tightly entwined hands.

* * *

"Sir, you will have to leave. Visiting hours are closed." The voice from the nurse came as a surprise. "One more minute please?" Jim's despair in his eyes made the nurse give in. Nodding she closed the door. "Jim, if I die-" Jim cut her off "You won't die. I will find a way to make sure you stay alive even if the wound is poisoned or something I will-" Noticing the raised hand made him stop. "Jim, why do you think the blood doesn't stop. A wound like this normally would heal over in a few weeks of resting. Jim the dagger she was wielding, it was the dagger that killed my mother. It was poisoned with a death adder poison. I don't have that long left Jim. And it hurts Jim, that's why. The poison on the dagger I saw would've killed you so quickly...I couldn't take the risk." Single tears started sliding down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. They continued however. "I sure have been crying a lot today, seeing as I am someone who doesn't cry!" Jim gave a sad smile. "Laren, you can't leave me. Please don't." The nurse had opened the door again. He knelt down and kissed her fore head and the last image he had of her was she finally closed her eyes. tears streaming down his face everything went black. Like literally. He hadn't just cut out those memories or anything, he was actually blind for the moment.

"You have a lot of nerve coming down here." A high pitched and slightly annoying voice screamed at him. He tried walking but his legs seemed stiff. He looked around to see a blonde haired mermaid right up in his face. 'You broke our sister's heart you know. She was a perfectly happy teenager and would've come back down to the ocean after that prince rejected her but NO you had to get in the way!" Jim realised where he was. he looked down to see himself shirtless with a tail. "You turned me into a MERMAN, so you could SCREAM AT ME!" Jim was pouring out pure rage."Well no, but we still want to while you're here." The girl was now recognised as Ariel's sister. Chilly, here in the ocean, he thought. "Wait, why am I here if not for you to scream at me?" Questions were bubbling inside his head and curiosity through his veins. A royal messenger came and told Jim to come through to the 'extraction room'. Creepy name for a room. Jim struggled his way through the halls with his new tail. Passing mermaids giggled at him and he self-consciously covered his bare chest. It wasn't like Jim was out of shape, solar surfing is a great upper body workout, he just didn't like this new...thing! He followed the miniature sea-horse towards the 'extraction room' where he found something very surprising. A mermaid Laren floating in the air with King Triton inspecting the now fully revealed wound. "Welcome Jim, you are just in time!"


	13. Chapter 13

Jim wasn't sure how to react. Her wound was fully exposed and bleeding right here in the salt water. Imagine the pain. "Well you came just in time! The extraction process is about to begin." King Triton offered him a seat and Jim gingerly lowered his new merman self onto it. "What exactly is extraction?" Sounded painful. "The extraction process is one that should pull the wound off her. It is extremely dangerous but the only way we can save her now. Yes it is very painful. She will endeavour much pain and has a 50% chance she will die but this is the only way." Jim stood (or floated ?!). This sounded to bad for her already weak immune system. "Lets begin!" The king clapped his hands together a low humming started.

Jim watched as the half naked body of Laren was moved into a horizontal position. A beam of light was shot down and he saw her crease her brow in sleep. He swam as quickly as his tail would allow to hold her hand. "Ahh Jim, It probably isn't-" His words were cut short by a scowl from Jim. Laren's eyes flashed open, her breathing heavy. She turned her head to Jim. "J-J-Jim it h-hurts." Her eyes were ones of sadness and her hand gripped his. A blast of energy came from the machine and Laren screamed. Jim's eyes were welling up at the sight of her pain. The second burst of energy came from the tall, sea themed machine. Her screams were loud and although she tried, she could not thrash. "JIM HELP PLEASE!" The only way he could was to hold her hand tighter. He was probably hurting more then her. What could he do? "Isn't there some kind of pain killer or something?" His voice was hoarse and cracked. King Triton shook his head. This couldn't be the only way. He saw Ariel's sister in the corner, who quickly pulled back out of gaze. "What can I do?" He screamed across the room, leaving Laren wasn't an option. Even she raced off and Jim wasn't sure whether to get an antidote or just out of pure fear. He could be quite intimidating when things were rough. Another scream filled the air and Jim made the mistake of looking down at Laren's torso.

* * *

The wound and the skin around it seemed to be peeling off. The blood was in a thin stream upwards being drawn to the energy at the top. (Insert gory description of wound here). He looked back at Laren's face. Tears were streaming down her face and she was gripping his hand. The third burst of energy was welling up in the machine point and Jim got nervous. 'This will decide whether she lives or not." The voice of King Triton was quiet but clear over the loud drone of the machine. You better keep her alive, Jim thought, you kill her and I will kill you. He wasn't sure how this was appropriate, for the machine was just metal, but he meant every word. The third burst of energy was let out from the machine and every went in slow motion. The light beam plummeted to Laren, just as a piece of scrap metal was thrown across the room. He saw Ariel in the corner who quickly swam away. The small piece of metal intercepted the beam, shards of light pouring out across the room. The metal did not break however, as small as it may seem. The piercing light burned their eyes and he turned away, not releasing Laren's hand. Everything was white.

When he opened his eyes he was across the room. The cold hard floor was beneath his head. Laren. A hand disturbed his thoughts and he gratefully took it and helped himself up. He looked into the eyes of Ariel. "My sister came and got me. I should help you up when you fall, as you did me. I found the scrap metal with the other things of Laren's possessions when we transported her down here. I can't believe I was so stupid." Jim tried to comfort her about not knowing that Scroop was there, but that only gained a laugh. "Not about that, about how I fell in love with 20 year old Eric. God, what was I thinking." The conversation continued and they shared laughs at their old memories. King Triton broke the happiness. "We should see if she is still...well...ummm...Alive." Jim's face fell. He looked around the room and found the limp figure of Laren sprawled over in the corner. He should have ran to her straight away. Swam. He SWAM over to her limp body and rolled her over, brushing away her hair. He noticed the wound was gone, but her movement was as still as ice. She was cold too. He picked up one of her hands and held the cold being close to himself. The girl on the solar surfer now gone.

* * *

"Oh Jim," Ariel began but Jim didn't answer nor return her affection. He just wanted to be with Laren. The king and his daughter left the room, thinking it was best. He rolled her onto her back and began softly stroking her hair. "Now you are gone I can tell you," His voice was cracked and hoarse but he new these last words were the most important. "I should've told you from the start. I think you are beautiful. Your smile brightens my day and all the inside joke we have keep me constantly smiling. I love your sense of humour, your hair and most of all your obsession with solar surfers. I love the way you look in the morning and the way you listen and not judge. Without you I could never smile again. I love the way we never fight except about metal choices but most of all I love you." He leaned over and kissed her picked up the discarded piece of metal. The one from B.E.N, the one perfect for her solar placed it in her hands and delicately moved her so she was comfortably sitting in his lap. He just sat there with her for hours until he noticed the jar in the corner.

He swam over and back with the jar, realising its significance. He loosed the lid and a dozen supernova stars burst around him. They floated for a while before slowly moving around the room. The bright lights were not suited to the mood of the room, yet still fit in perfectly. Jim began stroking Laren's hair again, reliving the first time they met and all of their ups and downs. Only now had he told her what took him so long to figure out, and she would never hear stars gathered around them and hung still in the water. Jim just sat. He closed her blue/green eyes and wondered if he would ever find any more spectacular. Maybe if I had told her before the accident...she still would've taken it. Ariel and king Triton came back in with Morph. "It's time to go, Jim." Time to go back to his own planet. Back to his own space trip. Back to a place where Laren used to smile and laugh. Back to the place where memories would haunt him forever. Morph gave him a sad look and burst into tears. Jim layed Laren down and began to swim towards the exit. "Just goin to leave without me, aye?"

**Author's Note**

**Yeah so this is my 13th chapter. I really hope you like it. Please read and review my oneshot it is uses Laren and all that so yeah. I hope you like it :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Jim turned and just ran. He sprinted across the full length of the dull room. He ran. The small figure of Laren was what he was aiming for. He ran and wrapped his arms around her. She was sitting up and took full force of him just running straight into her. He gripped her as tight as possible and she returned the force. _(Laren's POV_) Laren's vision and feeling didn't come back as fast as her hearing. After the explosion everything was black and her cells felt as if they were on fire. The place where she was stabbed felt like a black hole eating her insides. Everything was black. The slight noises of voices returned to her first. Her ears pricked at the sound of groaning and slight voices. She picked up the voice of Jim and Ariel laughing and the pain increased. Maybe I'm having an out of body experience and they can finally be together, her sad mind thought this was the most likely thing. She layed there in her own sadness. The voices changed and a deeper one joined the group. King Triton. Wait, who was he? She knew it was him yet she didn't know who he was. I'm dead anyway I don't need to know. She didn't feel movement, yet she knew someone was picking her up, moving her position. Her heart raced at the slowest speed possible when she heard the voice of Jim. His words would have made her smile and laugh yet everything was lazy, her senses not reacting to her call. If only he could hear her response. She sat there enjoying the moment she knew wouldn't last. Her senses slowly returned and she felt the soft patting against her head. She even thought she saw tiny pin-pricks of like dance around her ever-so-black vision. When he said the three words that ended his speech, she never thought anything would come back to her quicker. Her muscles started to work and her vision started to feel as if she could actually see again. "Jim, it's time to go." No he doesn't. I like this. Don't leave. She was lowered down with something cold in her hands, and almost immediately she sat back up again. "Just goin to leave without me, aye?"

_(Jim's POV) _All Jim wanted to do was hold her close. That is basically all he did. They just sat there hugging for a full 5 minutes before Ariel cleared her throat. "Uh..Guys I don't want to ruin the moment but you guys have to get to the portal before your tails leave you." Jim helped Laren up and stood by her always. He held her hand for the first few steps and from there always made sure she was in sight. "Quick question," Laren started "Why the freaking hell do I have a tail." Her first movements were shaky and uneven but she eventually got the hang of the rhythmic movement. "Also," she stated after the first few minutes of swimming properly "Where is my shirt and when can I get it on? Hopefully the answer is soon." At this Jim laughed. "You look fine." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she quickly covered her middle "Oh, shutup!" Her eyes flashed to his torso and back up again which made him blush red around the ears. This gained a laugh from Laren. Her hand stayed tightly around her middle until she realized there wasn't a life threatening wound there. Her amazement and surprise left her speechless, only gaining a short nod from the King. They made there way back to the 'portal room.' and there they said there goodbyes.

* * *

Jim gave Ariel a hug while Laren told King Triton numerous amounts of apologies-for-stabbing-his-daughter and thank-you-for-saving-my-life sort of thing. The time came when Ariel and Laren exchanged farewells. "Look, I'm really sorry-" Laren began "Please, I had the mind of Scroop, the person who killed your parents. I should be apologizing to you." The two stopped talking and gave one another a hug. The portal was opened and Jim and Laren were thrown into their own world. Laren was bombarded with questions. First off the mark was Jim's mother who had come in to see her son on the planet they stayed. She was sweet and gave Laren free soup whenever she was to visit the Benbow. "I like your mother!" Laren said after Jim had shooed off his over-protective and completely embarrassing mother. "You are just lucky you will never meet my father, he would kill you." The two never got a spare moment together since the trip back. They were still getting back to their usual habits with feet three hours later. Silver was next, insisting she tell him everything that happened the day he was on the other side of the island. This took at least 20 minutes, for Silver wanted to know everything. Luckily he had to be called off somewhere. The third to ask questions was B.E.N. He went on and on about the fruit on Laren's home planet and didn't ask many questions about her actual experience. He had been shut up by Jim, though, asking about if Ariel had really killed her parents.

The two only had a spare moment together when they hid away below deck, after midday. The two talked for a while, until Jim asked the question he had wondered about since Silver mentioned it. "What sent your mother insane?" Laren's smile faded of her face and she cleared her throat, looking down. "Well, umm, my mother went insane because I..." Her voice trailed off. Jim was about to say something reassuring when she burst out in the reason. 'My mother and I had a fight, because she was being difficult about my solar surfer and when I told her she was being difficult she stormed out. She got drunk and when she came back my father was dead. I was standing in the doorway and she thought I..." What was left of her small voice drifted off again. "I understand." Jim's words were few but the glance from Laren told him they made a difference. Their heart to heart moment was interrupted by the sound of Junor clashing around in the background, and realising it was close to lights out they quickly hopped up in a burst of energy, escaping the anger of their superior. They grabbed the mop and broom just as Junor came through the doorway. "Sir, you should get to bed you look terrible. Maybe you should take the day off tomorrow you don't want to get sick." The innocent voice of Laren made it hard for Jim to control his laughter. 'Yes, you are right. Maybe I should..." Junor left them and as soon as he was out of earshot, the pair split their sides with laughter. "Probably thinks he has some rare sickness now, or something!" Jim laughed. The pair continued joking until the morning was young.

* * *

After they had finished their jokes and laughter (as well as their chores), the two climbed up and onto the horizontal part of the mast. They sat, their legs dangling in the open space. A group of Supernova stars drifted around them. "Maybe these are the same stars we collected." Laren suggested 'Maybe they are the same as the supernova we experienced." Jim answered. The two sat in silence for a while. "Look, thanks for helping me through the whole energy burst machine thing." Laren said. "No problem." Jim answered. He wondered if she heard what he had said. She of course was thinking the exact same thing. What had he said? did he mean it? Maybe he was with Ariel. "Hey look if you and Ariel want to be together, I can come and visit if you-" "NO! Um...no. I don't want to be with Ariel." More silence. "I heard you guys laughing after the whole KABLAM thing." The sentence should have continued yet Laren was stuck for words for a change. "Yeah, um old memories." Jim was turning pink. If she had heard that, what else had she heard? "Hey you remember when we first met?" Nice save Laren, Jim thought. "We had a whole battle cause I thought you were an intruder!" Laren laughed at this. "I was just mopping along, inspecting my new living area when BAM! a mop's against my head and I am thrown into a battle with what was going to be my best friend. Funny how long ago that seems now." She looked down and sub-consciously felt her side. Tell her Jim, she has made sacrifices for you, Jim was a nervous wreck. "About what I said-" "I know what you said. Thanks." Laren had cut him off and he wasn't sure if she fully understood what he was going to talk about. 'You know what?" Laren began "I'm kind of sick and tired of people treating me like I'm nothing. You understand but others don't." Her voice was small, words not matching their power "When my parents died I was nothing and people treated me like it. I want them to know that although I may be small and sometimes don't make the best decisions, I want them to know I'm still here." With the last three words, Jim's mouth was on hers and she wasn't fighting it. Pure bliss, Jim thought. I'm cool with this, Laren was thinking. Jim's hand was on her hair and he said "I meant it." She knew what he meant. "Back at you then."

The next morning was the grand opening of her newest design of solar surfer. The work Jim had put on it made it even better then before. He put his hand over Laren's eyes and led her down the stairs to the covered vehicle. She opened her eyes and Jim pulled the dust cover of it. Her expression said enough and she jumped on him. They shared another kiss before trying it out. Laren positioned the piece of scrap metal in place before she jumped on the ignition letting it hover a few feet off the ground. "Are you getting on or what?" Laren said over the drone of the engine. Jim pulled himself up, arms around Laren and they went for a test flight.

Silver was happy with the new couple after spotting them on the aircraft together. "You two look pretty smitten! I might have to keep a leash on both of ya!" This made the pair blush quite violently and Silver pulled them both in for a hug. "Seriously, you treat her right. That goes for you two missy!" Silver beamed at them before B.E.N pulled them into a hug. For once Jim didn't complain.

Now as for Jim's mother! When she heard the news she gave Laren the tour of his old room, showed her all of his old baby books and worst of all his school pictures! As much as Jim protested, his mother would not stop until the whole floor plan and all he memories of him were etched into Laren's brain. He ended up sitting outside, the sound of laughter coming from down the hall. "James, I didn't know you were an animal fan!" Laren's expression made him blush, and his mother put away her locket. "Jimmy, this ones a keeper!"

The time they spent alone wasn't like time spent with other couples. They kissed a few times, but most of all they like working on solar surfers or cleaning the decks. They remained best friends. They laughed a lot. Laren still was competitive and didn't like being shown up, so the race was a regular thing. The two went junk yard raiding and when the other was sad, they were the shoulder to cry on. It was as if nothing changed. Except for the fact Laren kissed him when he did something stupid (often on purpose). They sailed and when this sail trip was over they enrolled in the next one. Laren spent time on Montressor and ended being a waitress at the Benbow often 'bumping into' Jim there. They stayed closer with Silver and Morph never left their side. Life was never perfect for the orphaned girl and the misunderstood boy. But that was the way they liked it.

**Author's Note**

**THIS IS MY FINAL CHAPTER! We are finally finished the journey of them hitting each other with brooms to basically the same thing just in a flirtatious manner. I want to do another story. Any suggestions? I'm really over attached to this one so maybe a sequel? Or maybe just a one shot about them in the future? Whatever you guys think I should do please tell me cause I'm basically clueless about to do from here on. All I know is I want to keep writing. In case you were wondering, I'm a girl that lives in Australia! Try to find me from that stalkers! No but any way this is a really special moment for me cause this is my first story that I've completed with actual people reading! When you read things out in class at school it isn't really the same...Any way Thank-you for ll your support and reviews. I wouldn't have continued with this unless the little review symbol had popped up unexpectedly.**

**xoxo Gossip Girl**

**No but seriously (^ I don't even watch that show, calm yo tits^)**

**Read Please ;)**


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